Jaz in the City Amsterdam: From 0 to 60% automated check-in rate in six months
How Jaz in the City Amsterdam scaled its operations with a future-ready tech stack, a hands-on rollout, and a team mindset built on curiosity and change management.
PMS: Oracle Cloud
LOCKS: ASSA ABLOY
PAYMENT: Nexi
percent
automated total check-in rate
hours
per month saved in manual check-ins
PERCENT
less manual administrative workload
When it opened in 2015, Jaz in the City Amsterdam was the first hotel of the young lifestyle brand Jaz in the City. It is part of the H World International portfolio, which also includes the Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts and IntercityHotel brands.
Located in a culturally vibrant area, the hotel attracts international travelers looking for a lively and individual experience. Music and urban culture are at the heart of the concept: artists come together for concerts, the public spaces feature changing exhibitions, and the kitchen serves both traditional and urban dishes. Guests can also enjoy gyms, spas, and conference rooms – a unique experience that can truly be heard, seen, and felt throughout the entire property.
A STRONG BRAND, BUT A SETUP
THAT NO LONGER SCALED
Before working with Hotelbird, Jaz in the City Amsterdam had the brand, the vibe, and the guest loyalty – but their operational setup was under pressure.
As a popular hotel during concerts and events, they experience strong fluctuations in arrival and departure patterns, often with 90% of interactions occurring within just a three-hour window. For the team, this meant long lines, a high administrative workload, and limited time for the personal, casual interactions Jaz in the City is known for. For the hotel, it meant high labour costs to cover peak times and a setup that did not scale sufficiently for a high-volume urban property.
The largely manual experience also no longer matched industry standards for a digital, automated guest journey – something the hotel wanted to offer its guests.
In addition, compliance requirements in the Netherlands added extra pressure. Capturing required guest data manually made the process slow and increased the risk of human error or skipped fields. Knowing that better solutions exist, Jaz in the City Amsterdam wanted to handle this process more efficiently and reliably.
Recognising the need for a setup that could support the desired changes, Jaz in the City Amsterdam switched to Oracle Cloud as their PMS, paired with the Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP).
This laid the foundation for automation at scale and paved the way for introducing Hotelbird as their guest experience platform. With this change, Jaz in the City Amsterdam was able to connect PMS, locks, and payments seamlessly and focus on four goals:
#1
Increase the automated check-in rate to at least 50%.
#2
Reduce administrative tasks and free up more time for meaningful guest interactions.
#3
Provide a more modern, convenient experience for guests.
#4
Automate data collection reliably and in line with legal requirements.
not just a technical launch,
but a rollout led from the lobby
Once the new tech stack was live, Jaz in the City Amsterdam rolled out the full Hotelbird platform, including web check-in, the guest directory, self-service terminals, and automated communication. Most importantly, they approached the rollout as a change project, not a technical switch.
From the start, management took an active and visible role. Front Office management spent the first weeks in the lobby alongside the team with tablets, checking guests in themselves and demonstrating how the new workflow worked in real situations. They guided the team through the transition with authentic support and answered questions directly on the floor. This created an environment where staff felt safe to try, learn, and build confidence at their own pace.
What stood out most during this phase was the mindset. The team was open to advice, willing to test new approaches, and eager to make the solution work. As soon as staff saw how much administrative work disappeared through digital check-in, adoption accelerated naturally.
Guest enablement played an equally important role. With Flying Reception mode, portable tablets staff could use anywhere in the lobby, the team supported guests directly where they were. Demonstrating the process, answering questions on the spot, and guiding guests through their first digital check-in helped build trust and brought back more of the personal interaction Jaz in the City Amsterdam wanted to focus on again.
We didn’t just switch on a new guest journey. From day one, we were in the lobby with our colleagues, actively guiding them and our guests. This resulted in an even more motivated and enthusiastic team. Looking back, this was one of the best side effects of the rollout.
Kevin van den Aardweg, Front Office Manager
from invite to check-out:
a fully digital guest journey
With the team fully onboarded, the new setup quickly became part of daily operations. Connected through Hotelbird, every major step of the guest journey is now digital and automated:
CHECK-IN INVITES
Before arrival, guests receive a hotel-branded email inviting them to complete their check-in online.
WEB CHECK-IN
Guests complete their registration and pre-payment ahead of their stay and receive a personal QR code for key card creation on site.
CHECK-IN ON SITE
Guests who still prefer to check in at the hotel can complete the entire process at the self-service terminals, including generating their key card.
DIGITAL GUEST DIRECTORY
Guests can access all hotel information, opening hours, and practical details on their own devices throughout their stay.
CHECK-OUT
Guests can check out online or via the self-service terminals, with payments and invoices handled automatically.
The result: a guest journey that benefits
guests, staff and the business alike
Jaz in the Cit y Amsterdam set out to handle peak times more efficiently, reduce administrative workload, and modernise the guest experience. Six months af ter go-live, they ’ve not only met these goals, they ’ve exceeded them – a trend that continues still today.
BUSINESS IMPACT
Automation has become a stable part of daily operations, reducing pressure during peak times and mitigating compliance-related risks.
60%
automated total check-in rate.
58H
saved per month in manual check-ins.
Fully compliant and error-free data synchronisation with Oracle Cloud.
STAFF IMPACT
The new setup has created calmer peak hours, reduced stress, and enabled more meaningful service, all leading to a higher team satisfaction.
90%
less manual administrative worklaod.
Fully manual check-ins are becoming increasingly obsolete.
Staff have more time for genuine guest interaction.
GUEST IMPACT
Guests enjoy a faster, smoother and more independent experience.
84%
of guests who receive a digital check-in invitation accept it.
Guests skip queues and generate their key card within seconds.
Digital access to hotel information increases clarity and convenience.
With Hotelbird, we’re now seeing results that go beyond what we expected not just in numbers, but in how smoothly everything runs.
The best part is that guests hardly notice the technology at all. For them, it simply feels natural and many are positively surprised by how convenient the experience has become.
marjolein bruschke, general manager
the unexpected win:
new confidence on the lobby floor
Some team members naturally feel more comfortable staying behind the reception desk when interacting with guests – something Kevin van den Aardweg had hoped the new setup would help change by encouraging more confident movement on the floor. What he didnt expect was how quickly the quieter team members began stepping forward once they saw, through their own onboarding and from their colleagues, how much the digital check-in process reduced their administrative workload.
With fewer manual steps and the support of Flying Reception tablets, their confidence to approach guests proactively increased. Supporting guests on the floor became easier and genuinely helpful for their daily work. It also created a noticeably more open and welcoming atmosphere in the lobby, which guests picked up on immediately.
Seeing some of our quieter team members step into the lobby and engage with guests so naturally was a great moment. The new setup really helped them feel more confident to engage with guests on the floor.
Kevin van den Aardweg,
Front Office Manager
3 things other hotels can learn
from jaz in the city amsterdam
Jaz in the City Amsterdam didn`t succeed by chance, they took the right steps at every level. They reimagined their guest journey, realigned their tech and trained their team.
The result: smarter, smoother, more modern operations that benefits everyone – guests, staff, and the business alike. Their journey shows what s possible when vision meets action, and when technology is backed by change management.
For other hotels looking to automate their guest journey, here are three takeaways to consider:
#1 Your PMS makes or breaks your automation
If it s not cloud-based, there won`t be any automation – no matter how hard you try to work around it. It s better to make the switch now than face the same challenges later and end up switching anyway. In Jaz in the City Amsterdam s case, the move to Oracle Cloud was strategic. They knew the processes they wanted to automate were only possible with an industry-leading PMS.
#2 Know exactly which goal you hope technology to serve
Don`t digitize for the sake of it, it will lead you nowhere but to frustration. Be clear about what you want your guest journey to look like, and choose the setup that supports those use cases, not the other way around. For Jaz in the City Amsterdam, the goal was clear: automate more than 50% of check-ins to reduce admin work and handle peak times more effectively.
#3 Lead change by example
Your team drives success on the floor, but it s on you to lead by example. Jaz in the City Amsterdam didn`t introduce a new guest journey from behind the desk. Management stood in the lobby, guided guests and staff, and showed what the new workflow looks like in practice. That visible support made adoption smoother, built confidence across the team, and enabled the impressive results they achieved.